Avatar: Fan and Sword
by SenorCardgage
Summary: Six years have passed since the Avatar fell at the hands of Fire Lady Azula. Ba Sing Se stands, and the war rages on, but the people have little hope. What can the last remaining members of Team Avatar, the non-benders no less, do to restore the balance?
1. The Two Survivors

It had been six years since that fateful day.

Sokka, now twenty one, smiled at Suki, also twenty one. His best and only friend. His lover.

She is so mind-strikingly beautiful, he thought, as he gazed upon her. She did likewise, grinning cheekily as she realized just where Sokka was looking. She stood five feet eight inches, her athletic body perfectly toned and in excellent shape. She wasn't just beautiful, she was… smoking hot. He would think of her all the time; she was all that he had, and it was the same for her.

Sokka stopped thinking about her long enough to bury his blade up to the hilt in the chest of the fire nation guard rushing at him.

It had been six years since that fateful day, when Avatar Aang had almost saved the world. When he had fallen to the now Fire Lady Azula just one day after defeating the previous Fire Lord, Ozai. When he had given the world so much hope, but Azula had snatched it all away with a bolt of lightning.

Sokka hadn't been there; with a broken leg, he had remained behind in Ba Sing Se. He had spent a lovely night with Suki very tenderly catering to his every demand. While Aang died, he was living it up with his girlfriend. His love.

He blamed himself.

If I had just been a little swifter… he would start to Suki. She would silence him with a kiss, as she had heard his self blame a thousand times over. If he had been swifter, he wouldn't have broken his leg, and he wouldn't have let Aang die. The fire nation would have been defeated then and there, like it was supposed to have been, and Azula and her troops wouldn't have hunted every single person he'd ever cared about, other than the beautiful young woman fighting beside him.

His father… killed by a shock of lightning, defending the escaping southern water tribe. Pakku, also defending the escaping people, and the ever determined Gran-Gran by his side, died on that day as well, surrounded by firebenders with unquenchable thirsts for blood. Zuko, so recently changed… put down by his sister, no doubt, just when his destiny was about to be realized. Toph… thrown off their airship after being intercepted by an enemy ship while travelling to the Fire Nation, to drown in the endless sea. Never again would Sokka feel her affectionate punch. Master Piandao… killed while providing a distraction for Sokka to escape. He mush have taken down forty soldiers, benders and non benders alike, by the time the sixth arrow got him, when he sat down to die, in a meditative position. Remarkable man. His sister, Katara… killed, just like Zuko had been, at the cold hands of the horrible woman in control of an unstoppable war machine.

All that he had left were his sword, and his girl.

With an impossibly quick horizontal slash he decapitated the next soldier to charge at him, rolling aside to avoid the blood, as crimson as the man's tunic. He came up right next to a surprised firebender, whose bright orange flames were too late. Sokka cut open his stomach, and he fell to the ground, clutching at the wound. Out of the corner of his eye, Sokka saw Suki whip her trademark spiked fan out of one man's chest, only to immediately plunge it into another man's forehead.

They sheathed their weapons and beheld the scene; six men, dead or dying. Their blood formed macabre pools around their bodies. It was certainly not a pretty sight. Sokka looked to Suki. She looked back at him, her eyes sad.

_She hates this senseless killing_, he thought. He did as well, but it was the only way to contribute anymore, harassing the Fire Nation at any cost.

They quickly made their way back to the camp in the woods. A very familiar, gigantic, white-furred flying bison was there to greet them with a grunt.

"Shushh, Appa," Sokka said quietly. The bison looked him in the eye and resumed sleeping. It was time to call it a night, for everyone.

Suki swiftly unpacked their bed roll, while Sokka stalked around, sword in hand, daring a miserable firebender to show his head, so he could cut it off; his way of keeping watch. It was a futile gesture, for no enemy would show itself that night. They never would. Sokka stopped pacing, sheathed his sword, and closed his eyes, trying to push the hurt and the pain far away.

Suddenly Suki, finished with the bed roll, threw her arms around his chest, kissing his neck from behind. He turned to face her, holding her body close to his. She was crying; tears dripped from her eyes, but she made not a sound. Sokka began to cry silently too. There was no erasing what the Fire Nation had done to them. It could be warded off for periods of time, but it would soon return in full force.

They kissed passionately, hungrily. Sokka lifted her up, breathing heavily, and carried her over to the sleeping pouch. He lay atop her, tearing at her clothes with unrivaled vigor, while she did the same for him. They used their frantic lovemaking as a weapon to keep all of the horrible memories from overwhelming them, momentarily forgetting the dire situation in favor of the last respite they could find anywhere in the world.

Chests heaving, eyes locked, they fell asleep in each other's arms, as they had done for the past three years.

* * *

Suki always woke before Sokka. She would prop herself up and stare at his sleeping form and smile, stroking his coarse shoulder-length hair. Every morning, the same thing went through her head.

_He's changed so much_.

Where a cute, skinny and goofy teenager once was, a handsome and muscular young man now lay. After the fall of his friends, Sokka had run off in anguish, leaving a heartbroken Suki all alone with only her Kyoshi warriors to relate to. Then, three short years ago, he had reappeared in her life. He never spoke much about his lost years, only revealing that he had undergone immense physical and mental trials by his own cause. It was apparent that whatever he had been through had refined his natural warrior instincts and talents to an unparalleled degree. He could best Suki eight out of ten times in a sparring match. While she was quicker, Sokka manipulated the sparring match to his advantage, forcing her to depend on strength and endurance, his fortes, rather than her superior agility. He was a master at perceiving his opponent's weaknesses.

Sokka somewhat resembled his father, with a short beard complimenting his long hair, which he usually wore in typical Fire Nation hairstyle in order to better blend in with the locals. He had grown considerably, now standing six feet two inches, with broad shoulders and a square jaw. His maturity on the outside matched the changes in his personality, unfortunately; the horrible events of the past, and his self imposed exile from civilization, had taken a toll on his cheery nature. His sense of humor had diminished, and his heavy sarcasm had been all but erased by his hardships, leaving only cynicism and pent up anger. Only to Suki did he reveal his true, former nature, and that had taken her many months of counseling and affection to unlock from 

the cold recesses of his mind. The humorous, good natured Sokka still lived on, the Sokka she had fallen in love with so long ago. It didn't matter that it was shielded behind walls of fury and tragedy, only that it survived, that Sokka had not fully become that which he was fighting against.

Suki's mind drifted back to that event some three years ago…

* * *

_Kyoshi Island lay in ruins. Corpses lay in the streets, men, women and children alike, as the buildings burned and the blood in the street boiled from the heat. At one end of the village, a lone figure stood; tall, strong, and too late. _

_Sokka's eyes misted over in rage as he beheld the carnage. He walked through the village, surveying the scene; it looked as if no inhabitant had survived. At the other end of the village, a tight circle of bodies clad in green dresses with distinctive face paint lay in the middle of a much larger circle of red clothed corpses. The Kyoshi warriors, so recently liberated from prison by Suki herself, had gone down fighting, but it had not been enough. The fire nation bodies must have numbered in the hundreds, but there had clearly been more. Sokka walked over and inspected the green clothed corpses one by one._

_Suki was not one of them. _

_His spirits lifted momentarily. He came to a spot in the circle that was empty, but where a body had lain previously. He could tell by the indent in the bloody dirt. Drag marks extended to a nearby hut, one of the few that were not burning. Sokka walked up slowly to the house and stopped before the entrance. The door was lopsided, barely hanging off the top hinge. Sokka was afraid of what he might find inside. He steeled himself and entered._

"_Take a step closer," began a familiar voice, "and I'll…" the voice broke down in a painful fit of coughing. Sokka beheld his former girlfriend, Suki, leaning against the opposite wall, brandishing her red-stained fan in one hand, and clutching at her bloody side with the other. Her face paint was smeared with blood, sweat and tears, and she was trembling with the effort of brandishing her weapon. _

"_Suki," he said quietly. Tears began to openly flow down his cheeks._

"_S-Sokka?" was all that she said. Then she slumped over. He ran to her side clutching at her and crying like he had never cried before. _

_It was three days before Suki awoke again. Sokka quickly dressed her wounds and kept her warm in his embrace. He did not sleep a wink in those three days; he simply held her close and dribbled water into her mouth every couple of hours. Sometimes, when she tossed and moaned in her sleep, he would whisper things to her, sweet words of affection. It seemed to him that it calmed her down. _

_At one point she began talking._

"_Sokka…" she said in her sleep. "Where did you go, Sokka… I need you now. I need you more than ever… I love you, Sokka, please come back."_

_These words made Sokka incredibly guilty. _I left her, _he thought, _I abandoned her when she needed me, the idiot that I am. Will she forgive me?

_On the third day her eyes opened. She turned her head and her eyes met his. She placed her hand on his head and smiled widely at him. _

_And punched him in the jaw. _

"_Don't you EVER leave me like that!"She screamed._

_He stumbled backwards, remembering how she had beat him up in their youth. Her eyes were filled with rage and, disregarding her wounds, she threw herself upon him, attacking him mercilessly. Sokka did not defend himself. He let her hit him. It hurt, but he deserved it. After a few seconds, she stood up, staggering slightly from her wounds. She was crying. Sokka stood as well._

"_I deserve it, Suki." He began, "why did you stop?"_

"_I haven't finished yet," she started slowly. "You also deserve… this."_

_Sokka was extremely confused when she came forward and pressed her lips to his. After a moment he pulled away, quite speechless._

"_You came back," she said, smiling. Her face was smeared with paint and tears, but she could not look any more beautiful._ _"They said you wouldn't; the other Kyoshi warriors, when I freed them. But I know you, Sokka. You always come back. You're like your boomerang."_

_He hugged her close to him. But then it dawned on her, and she shoved him away, her puffy eyes wide and teary._

"_The others… they're…they're…oh no…"_

_She ran outside the hut to behold the spectacle. Sokka dashed after her. The fires had gone out, and most of the buildings had burned to the ground. He found Suki kneeling in the center of her fallen warriors. She was crying no longer. He walked up to her and clasped her in his arms. She sagged against him, her strength failing her. _

_"Spirits… why!?" she screamed to the sky. "WHY DID I SURVIVE THIS!?"_

_She struggled in his grip, but he did not let her go. She cried her curses to the heavens in her arms. Finally, she broke down in tears again, and hugged him close. Sokka almost joined her, but he realized he needed to provide a pillar of strength for her to lean upon in her time of need, so he kept his emotion in check. He picked her up in his strong embrace and carried her back to the hut._

_"Sokka," she began upon reaching the enclosed space, "I need you right now, so badly. I need you… to make love to me. Help me keep it all away, just for a short amount of time, please…"_

_She broke off, for he had kissed her tenderly. They made love for the truly first time that day; they had "experimented" in their youth, of course, but never had either considered it more than release in the past. Never had it felt so right, or so fulfilling, as this. _

_Some hour later, Suki had calmed, laying naked except for her bandages beside Sokka, also naked. _

_"Sokka, how are we going to leave this place? The Fire Nation has no doubt burned the boats… how did you get here?"_

_"On an old friend." He smiled and stood, and beckoned her to follow him outside. _

_"Appa!"he called to the forest to the north of the village. For a moment nothing happened. Then, out from the forest on the island lumbered an enormous flying bison, with white fur and a characteristic tan arrow on its forehead. He roared as his friends came into sight, a roar that diminished when Appa beheld the carnage of three days previous. Suki ran to the bison and embraced his great fuzzy head. Sokka smiled and embraced him as well._

_"Come on, Suki, let's get dressed. As much as I love to see you naked, we need to leave quickly. Who knows, the Fire Nation could be back soon."_

_"What about all the bodies? We can't just leave them, Sokka! This is my home, my childhood!"_

_"I am afraid we have to. I know what it's like to lose your home, Suki, but we need to be strong. As far as I know, we're among the few who can still make a difference in the war. I know it hurts. Let's go."_

_Suki hung her head, but she knew he was right. In fifteen minutes they were ready to go. Sokka, in his dirty Fire Nation garb, and Suki, wearing a midriff exposing red tunic and a skirt which fell to her knees, salvaged from a female fire nation soldier. They felt horrible, taking things from the dead, but they both knew it was necessary. _

_They climbed on Appa, taking a few days worth of food and water and loading their gear. With a "yip yip" they were off, soaring into the sky. From the saddle of Appa Suki beheld Kyoshi Island for one last time, her one and only home. It was a sight she would never forget, a sight that filled her with such rage against the Fire Nation whenever she thought of it. She swore revenge on Fire Lady Azula then and there, her last gift to her people. _

* * *

A/N: Well, folks, it's going to be dark, very dark. It's set in an alternate universe inspired by the finale, Sozin's Comet; as the story unfolds you'll learn more about just what happened that day, and the day after. But if you think Team Avatar is down for the count, then you're going to be disappointed. As for flashbacks, the first half is going to be full of them; get used to it! I will probably stop writing them in italics from now on, however. Sorry about that.


	2. The Chance

Sokka awoke to Suki doing as she always did when he would wake up; stroking his hair. He rather enjoyed it, and would sometimes fake sleep so she would continue. But not today. He kissed her good morning and forced himself upright, shaking his head to clear his mind from sleep. He flicked his masterfully crafted sword up with is foot and caught it in his left hand by the hilt. He whipped the scabbard off with a simple flick of his wrist and held the blade up to his inspection. As always, it threw off a red glow seemingly coming from the middle of the hollow blade. The sword was perfectly balanced; Sokka began a complicated practice routine in which he balanced on one foot and moved the sword in perfect arcs, gradually getting faster and more intense, eventually leaping from place to place on the one foot. However, his concentration was broken when Suki started clapping slowly. He turned to see her fully dressed, grinning her cheeky grin.

"Ever since you've been able to beat me, you just can't help rubbing it in, can you, Mr. naked guy?"

Sokka looked down and remembered that he did in fact have no clothes on. He matched her grin with an equally silly one of his own, stuck his sword in the ground and walked over to her.

"Well, maybe I feel like taking on the Fire Nation in the buff today."

"Oh? I think a lot of female soldiers would be too distracted to fight... good for us!" she said, tracing his chest with one of her hands.

"As long as you aren't distracted, which you no doubt will be!" he said snidely, flexing his biceps. She rolled her eyes but decided to indulge his ego and pulled him close in a hug.

"Well… I am sure distracted right now." She whispered sensually in his ear, reaching down to a certain part of his body. He grinned from cheek to cheek, although she couldn't see his face. Then, he spanked her.

"Sokka!" she growled, pushing him away. He fell over laughing. She crossed her arms at him, trying to keep a straight face.

"Sorry, babe," he began once he stood up, "but there's just no time for it right now. We should clear the area, maybe go into town." He began to get dressed, back to being serious, changed Sokka. She nodded, letting herself slip into a similar state of mind. He slung his scabbard over his shoulder and then went to pick up his sword. The familiar red glow shone dully in the morning sun. He was reminded of the first time he ever set eyes upon the wondrous blade…

* * *

_An eighteen year old Sokka bowed before his master. The morning sun shone as they faced each other in a clearing of an Earth Kingdom forest. _

"_Sokka, you have returned to the Earth Kingdom," began Master Piandao, after Sokka stood again. "You have been gone for nearly three years, my boy; where have you been?"_

"_It is a long story, Master; I have seen the world and studied various fighting techniques under skilled masters. I've been preparing myself…"_

_Piandao cut him off. "I can see that, Sokka; I can see it in your face. These past two years have been hard for you. But they have been also hard for us. Did you ever stop to think of what your self imposed exile would do to your friends?"_

_Sokka bowed his head. "Yes. But it was necessary if I am to kill the Fire Lady."_

_Piandao's eyes widened upon hearing this. He quickly found his voice._

"_You have made slaying Azula your task? Then, I am glad I have found you before you have tried."_

"_Why, master?" Sokka began angrily. "So you could restrain me from a foolish task which will most likely be suicide?Well… I deserve to die, Master! I let Aang and Katara and… everybody down! Killing Azula, whether I die or not, is the only way I can make it up to them. It's the only way I can restore my honor."_

_Piandao sighed. "No, Sokka, it is not to restrain you. I can tell by your appearance and the way you move that I would no longer be able to defeat you as I once could. You are my equal now, or perhaps my superior. I am happy that I have found you so that I could give you… this."_

_He pulled out the sword from his scabbard. Sokka gasped as he looked upon it. It was about the same length as his own new sword, a replacement after he had lost his space rock sword on the day of Sozin's Comet. But this sword glowed with a red hue. Its crossguard was carved with intricate little details; a rising sun, and erupting volcano, all surrounded by flames. He took it in his hands from his master. It was warm to the touch; he could feel a strange connection with this beautiful and deadly sword. _

"_This… is a…"_

"_Magma sword," finished Piandao. He nodded. "You have heard of them?"_

"_They're blades designed to combat firebending. They can redirect flame. But… I thought they had all been destroyed?"_

"_They are relics from a time when the art of swordfighting was as respected as the art of firebending. The secrets of their creation have been lost to time; it is said that it requires spirit magic and the breath of a dragon to create. They are very rare; General Iroh gave this to me when I was young in recognition of my skills. It is my most treasured possession. I am giving it to you, Sokka, because you can better put it to use."_

_Sokka looked at the sword. He took out his replacement, which he had never quite bonded with as he had his space sword, and handed it to his Master. Then he sheathed the magma sword and bowed. _

"_Sokka, before you embark on your mission, I think it would be wise to seek out a companion. A young woman has often asked me about you whenever she has been in Ba Sing Se, one who used to travel with you and the Avatar. Suki is her name. You remember her?"_

_Sokka nodded yes, trying not to say anything aloud lest his voice fail him. _She has been asking about me… will she forgive me?

_Also, I would advise you to seek out General Iroh. He is one of the few who has survived an encounter with Azula. You need to know more about her if you are to defeat her."_

"_Where is he? He's not with the rest of the Order of the White Lotus_ _in Ba Sing Se?"_

"_No. Iroh left on a journey much like your own. He told me it was to seek out his brother or something very strange like that. You know him, he is quite an eccentric old man…"_

_Sokka's eyebrows cranked up like a drawbridge. Iroh, seeking out Ozai? After he had been rendered powerless, Ozai had declared himself unfit to rule, handing over the crown to Azula. Then he had disappeared. While most speculated that Azula had killed him to remove him from the picture, there were rumors that Ozai had left to wander the world as a hermit. But why would Iroh want to find him?_

_Sokka's ponderings were cut short with the whoosh of a fire nation arrow. Seemingly out of nowhere it came, burying itself into Piandao's chest. Piandao stepped backwards with the force of the impact, grunting slightly. They both stared in shock at the arrow for a moment. Then _

_they whipped around to behold a lone Fire Nation archer standing at the edge of the clearing. Piandao began to bleed, but he showed no weakness as he and Sokka readied their weapons._

_Suddenly Fire Nation troops began to pour out from the side of the clearing._

"_They followed me!" gasped Sokka. _

"_They want you alive, Sokka, or else he'd have shot you too. Run! Find Suki and Iroh! The safety of the world depends on you now!"_

_With these words, he charged. Sokka watched him engage the enemy. He was impossibly quick , even for an aging man, cutting down seven of them within the first five seconds. _

"_RUN, SOKKA!" _

_Sokka turned and ran into the forest, but not before catching another glimpse of his master. Two more arrows, one in his back and one in his leg, plagued him, but he still fought on. Bodies began to pile up around the unstoppable cyclone that was Master Piandao. _

_Sokka later learned that after a sixth arrow pierced his heart, Piandao had sat in the cross-legged position he meditated in, and died surrounded by a circle of Fire Nation bodies. Piandao died a true Swordmaster's death. _

_Sokka ran until the walls of Ba Sing Se were in sight and then collapsed. He slept for a good four hours, and reached the walls by nightfall, somehow avoiding the Fire Nation patrols. Kyoshi Island was his next stop, but to get there he would have to enlist the help of an old friend. _

* * *

It was interesting to see how far he'd come since that day… Not far at all.

Killing Azula was still his mission, but she had proved impossible to get to. So he'd taken a few detours along the way. They had spent a few months looking for Iroh, but it was clear he didn't want to be found. Eventually giving up on finding the old man, they had tried to infiltrate the palace twice, failing both times, and barely getting out alive. They had followed Azula when she had decided to partake on a raid to stomp out the Southern Water tribe. That had ended disastrously for Sokka and Suki. But in all the attempts, they had somehow managed to remain anonymous; never had their identities been revealed. As they had not been able to face her, she remained ignorant of their existence. Surprise was still on their side.

For all the good it did them.

Once dressed, the two lovers made their way into town, commanding Appa to stay hidden in the forest. He grunted and lumbered off to a nearby cave previously home to a platypus bear, until Appa had flung him away with one swipe of his tail. Suki clasped his hand when they entered the town, and they smiled at each other, looking for all the world like two innocent young people in love. It was a ruse that they used often. No one would take them for a threat when they employed this trick.

"Suki, let's split up," he whispered. "We need to do some serious sleuthing around. I'll take the town bar, and you hit the streets."

Suki nodded. That was what they always did when they entered a town. They had found that when Suki took the town watering hole, no one would take her seriously; the patrons, mostly males, would jeer at her and try to grab various parts of her body that were reserved for only Sokka's touch. What followed usually entailed a hasty retreat after throwing a couple of the more frisky patrons to the ground, unconscious. Sokka could fit in much more successfully, owing to the fact that he did not have boobs.

Suki started wandering listlessly around the town. She stopped at a cabbage stall to get the latest gossip, but it was nothing of interest, except for there were sightings of a gigantic "flying buffalo". Suki frowned when she heard this. _We_ _need to be more careful about flying on Appa_. A couple of girls her age, or perhaps a little younger, walked by, giggling at a group of muscular young men boasting amongst themselves. Looking over at the girls, a particularly dumb one caught sight of Suki, a lone female, and an attractive one too. He grinned at his friends, whispered "watch this", and approached her. She looked at him with flirty eyes, blinking repeatedly and smiling her best smile; _maybe this meathead knows something._ He got the message and grinned widely.

"Hey there, beautiful," he said. Suki inwardly groaned, but on the outside she giggled. "My name's Hide. And you are… Ms. Gorgeous?"

It took the same effort as performing a back flip as it did to giggle stupidly after this remark. Even harder was responding, "You're kinda cute too… My name's… Ty Lee."

"Well, Ty Lee," he began (luckily not noticing her fist shaking with the effort not to punch him in the jaw), "I was wondering if maybe you'd come to Ember Island tomorrow with me. I happen to have snagged two tickets to an otherwise sold out play. Want to come... with me?" He grinned and winked and whipped two tickets out of his pocket. They read, "The Fire Lady: An Account of the Life and Trials of the Youngest Monarch in All of Fire Nation History, Fire Lady Azula. From the Critically Acclaimed Ember Island Players."

"Oh, really?" said Suki, sounding intrigued because she was, in fact, intrigued; "Tell me more about this play."

* * *

Sokka spied the off duty soldiers immediately upon entering the bar, clumped together at a back table. As many empty mugs as full ones stood on the table. Sokka guessed they were roaring drunk. He sat down with his back to them at a nearby table, attempting to listen in to their talk. One of the guards was telling the others of a vulgar encounter he had with a female palace servant recently. They laughed at his story, horribly drunk, while Sokka tried to block it out. But he gleaned some things from it; namely, they were nearby the palace, and that there seemed to be a little distaste for Azula among the guards. This was eluded to several times, but no one stated it concretely. Then they switched to a new topic.

"So, fellas, did you hear about the play?" The one with the story about the servant girl started.

"The one about the Fire Lady? Yeah, I heard about it. It's by the same guys who did the one about the Avatar way back." Sokka perked up when he heard this.

"Hah, those guys, eh? That sure was a funny one. My favorite was that wimpy skinny guy, that Sukka fella. He sure was hilarious." Sokka was barely able to keep his temper in check upon hearing this, but also felt a little bit of pride; they thought his jokes were funny?

"Yeah, The Ember Island Players. Anyways, they're doing this one about the Fire Lady, right? And that palace girl, the one with the legs, she told me that the Fire Lady is ecstatic, she's loving the attention, although she won't admit it. She also told me she's going to the showing tomorrow night…"

Sokka leapt up in elation. This was it! This was their big chance to strike the blow that could end the war. Azula had no heir, and with her gone, Iroh could make an attempt on the crown as the last remaining member of the royal family. A plan was already coming together in his mind.

"What's with that guy?" asked one of the soldiers, watching Sokka's triumphant leap and exit.

"Beats me," said one, "He kinda looked like Sukka. Heh heh." He giggled and then fell over, stone drunk.

Sokka dashed out to find Suki conversing with a tall muscular Fire Nation boy with short brown hair. Anger flared in his chest for a moment, but it passed; he knew Suki, and he'd seen her work her feminine wiles on other guys before in order to extract information.

He was still jealous.

She spotted him and made gestures with her head. The gestures said, _take care of him!_

He nodded, saw the tickets in his hand, grinned at this impossible luck, and gave a gesture of his own.

_Grab 'em and get out of there!_

* * *

"Er.. are you okay?" asked Hide as Suki wiggled her head at the newly appeared Sokka. He got the message, grinned his wily Sokka grin, and signaled back. She understood.

"Uh… fine! Just a twich. Sorry." She smiled her best stupid girl smile, thinking to herself, _Sokka had better beat this one up good_. "sooo… let me see those tickets…"

She gingerly grasped them. He smiled stupidly at her, no doubt imagining what she would look like naked.

So he was left completely speechless when Suki took off in a run.

"Hey!" Sokka hollered to poor Hide, "Stay away from my girlfriend!" He bounded in front of the confused young man and drew out his sword. It made for an impressing and fearful sight, a furious six foot two man with fire in his eyes and a glowing sword in his left hand.

"But she has my…" Hide began.

"I said, STAY AWAY!" interrupted the seemingly furious warrior. He swung lazily with his sword. Hide screamed and threw himself backwards onto the ground.

"You have been warned," said Sokka smugly, and he turned and ran after Suki, leaving a frightened and confused Hide sitting on the ground, with no girl or no tickets.

Sokka caught up to Suki in the middle of the forest. She was standing, panting, holding the tickets. Sokka cheered and kissed her right on the mouth. After a minute they broke apart.

"uh… what was that for? Two lousy pieces of paper?" said Suki, smiling at her lover who, for all of his changed ways, still managed to be quite goofy.

"Suki, Azula is coming to that play! Do you realize what this means?"

Suki's eyes widened. "Really? She'll be…"

"She'll be ripe for the taking. Or, rather killing. Its perfect, Suki, perfect! Fate has delivered her into our hands!" he said triumphantly.

Suki frowned. "Perfect… maybe too perfect. It could be a trap. That's exactly something Azula would think of, Sokka."

Sokka nodded in acknowledgement, serious again. "You're right," he began, "but we have to try. A shot like this, even if it is a trap, won't come along like this. We'll spring this supposed trap, and then Azula will be dead, and Iroh can make a grab at the crown, and he can end this war. We need to do this, Suki!"

The former kyoshi warrior closed her eyes in thought. She was silent for a moment, then she cleared her throat.

"Well?" Sokka inquired.

Suki opened her eyes, her blue green orbs shining with fierce determination.

"Let's go bag ourselves a Fire Lady."

Sokka raised his fist in the air, letting out a long "yesssss!" then turned and faced her, smiling.

"But first… I believe a little celebration is in order?"

She stepped close to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Oh really?" she said huskily. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

A/N: Just because its "dark" doesn't mean it can't have humor, people. But don't get used to it! I am considering upping the rating of this fic to allow me a little more freedom here. Is that a good move? As for the next update, I am about to go on vacation for two and a half weeks, where I will have no access to the internet, so don't expect it for the next two weeks or so.


	3. The Attempt

Bored as he always was, Lee, the ticket taker at the theater where the Ember Island Players regularly performed, failed to notice anything suspicious about any of the guests at the theater house, despite the fact that he had been warned by his superiors to expect a possible attempt of the Fire Lady's life. Perhaps it was the fact that Lee was 16 years old and had been collecting tickets for three months now, despite the promotion he had been promised for keeping a cheery and upbeat attitude when dealing with the theater-goers. He was trying too hard to be upbeat and cheery despite the dullness of the job and, most of the time, stupidity of the customers. So when an odd couple walked up, who were in fact just the people he'd been warned about, he suspected nothing.

The man walked in a shuffling manner, his back stooped. He had a scruffy, unkempt beard and strong features that seemed to be hiding behind a pair of spectacles. His brown hair was pulled up in the traditional Fire Nation hairstyle and his shoulders were rather broad. Lee pegged him as a grizzled war vet, although he looked rather young: perhaps he had been grievously wounded early in a battle against Earthbenders, breaking his back, and had been sent home. Lee had enough time to dream up a scenario of himself bravely fighting off Earthbenders and saving a beautiful fire nation woman before the man was able to waddle over to the ticket counter. The woman, clutching his hand, had to be his wife; she stood taller than he, and she was quite pretty, in a businesslike way. Her hair was drawn back in a tight bun, which seemed to pull her skin taught over her face, causing her to appear stern and serious. Judging by her large girth around the middle that was matched in no place else on her body, she appeared to be very pregnant; her pregnancy caused her, like her husband, to walk rather slowly. Lee smiled in what he believed was a cheery and upbeat way at them while he inwardly burned with impatience as they both slowly made their way to the ticket counter.

The man made a great show of digging around in his various pockets for the tickets. Lee's false smile stretched very wide as he waited. Finally the woman snapped her fingers and reached into her blouse and pulled out the two tickets. At this point Lee's smile was so wide that it seemed wider than his actual face area, so that it was stretching out into the air on each side of his face. He took the tickets and stamped them incredibly quickly.

"Box three," Lee said, "very nice seats. Take that door at the end of the corridor." He pointed to the door which led to the staircase up to box three. "Enjoy the show, Mr. and Mrs…

"Fire," said the man in a somewhat watery voice, "Wang Fire. And this is my wife, Sapphire."

"Sapphire Fire, yes, nice to meet you," said the woman in a high pitched voice. Then they waddled off. Lee breathed a sigh of relief that they had gone, and went back to daydreaming about fighting off Earthbenders.

As soon as the door to the stairway closed behind them, Sokka straightened up. He turned to see Suki wracked with silent laughter. Grinning cheekily, he said, "did you like my performance?"

Suki nodded her head, giggling like a schoolgirl. After she regained her breath, she spoke.

"Not laughing at the way you were hobbling along was harder than fighting off a horde of Firebenders." She smiled and punched him affectionately in the arm. "You know, it surprises me that those false identities work so well. How'd you dream those up?"

"It was a long time ago… with…" he swallowed, the memory of the moment momentarily overwhelming him; playing the father of Aang during a parent-teacher conference, a hopelessly silly occasion. It brought back a whole slew of connected memories, happy memories, that he knew would never happen again. He tried to push them out of his mind; he was done mourning, it was time for action. "With the whole gang. Er, minus Zuko, of course."  
Suki realized she had made him uncomfortable and changed the subject.

"Well, when I snagged these tickets from that guy I didn't realize they were quite so good, huh? A private box, all to ourselves." She winked at him. He perked up immediately.

"Well," he murmured "I wouldn't mind getting out of these itchy clothes. You brought the ninja suits?"

"yep," she said, patting her greatly enlarged stomach, "right here. It wouldn't do for us to assassinate Azula in common street clothes. It's gotta be black and stealthy, huh?"

"Plus masks," he stated, ignoring her somewhat sarcastic remark. "I don't want her guards, or her worship herself for that matter, to see our faces."

Suki was in the act of rolling her eyes and voicing a further retort when he kissed her passionately but briefly on her lips, winked roguishly, and bounded up the stairs to the box. She completed the action of rolling her eyes, but bit back the retort and followed him up. Upon reaching the top, Sokka, already naked, seized her and quickly but quietly removed her clothing. They sank to the bottom of the box, knowing full well that this might be the very last time they would be able to enjoy each other's presence. After all, Azula had proved herself extremely hard to defeat in the past.

Sokka and Suki spent the first act of the play primarily having sex in their private box. They watched bits and pieces of the play between long moments of passionate lovemaking, and were somewhat confused by the performance.

It portrayed Azula as an unprivileged young girl who always played second fiddle to her brother, Zuko, who always seemed to be beating up on her. Her mother, painted as a beautiful but cold and harsh woman, always sided with Zuko and was very unfair to the "innocent" young Azula. Her father, on the other hand, was very kind and understanding to her. Sokka, looking up for a moment, beheld a scene in which a child Zuko cruelly snatched an ornate knife which had been a gift to Azula from her uncle. He was rather confused; from what little he had gleaned from Zuko about his childhood, Azula had been the bully.

"It's like their positions are reversed," he commented, watching for a moment before Suki pulled him back on top of her.

Also portrayed somewhat incorrectly was Azula's friendships with Mai and Ty Lee. Sokka, never having known either of them very well, was confused; however, swapping manly stories with Zuko so long ago had brought him to the conclusion that at least Mai was not as bad as she looked. He did have her help in their escape from boiling 

rock as proof of this, risking her life for theirs, although Sokka suspected this was simply because Zuko had been there. From his mostly one-sided encounters with Ty Lee, Sokka had also determined that the girl was only really fighting against him because Azula scared her more than he did. To back this up, Suki had revealed that while being held captive by Azula and her compatriots shortly before being transferred to the Boiling Rock, Ty Lee had been quite nice to her; she tended to the welfare of the Kyoshi warriors while Azula abused them somewhat and Mai acted indifferent.

"I think she was a lesbian," said Suki.

Sokka looked up from between her legs and replied, "Nah, she was flirting with me way to much for her to be a lesbo."

"Fine then, she was bisexual. She got much too friendly with some of the other Kyoshi warriors, if I remember." She then went back to moaning passionately.

Like Zuko and Azula's relationship in the play, Azula's association with her two friends seemed the other way around. Instead of Azula enforcing their friendship, it was Mai and Ty Lee who seemed to be bullying her to hang around with them. It was hinted they were jealous of Azula and her prowess at firebending, which was highlighted to the nth degree, and also took advantage of the fact that she was a princess and therefore enormously privileged. Sokka realized that the characters were discredited to make their later betrayals much more fitting and expected.

The first act ended with Zuko's agni-kai against his father. In the play version, Zuko had brashly challenged the Fire Lord to a fire duel over a matter of tactics, who in turn was forced to scar and exile him, seemingly to his great lament. The curtain closed with Azula watching her brother in defeat with pity.

Sokka and Suki, both panting with exhaustion, but very much satisfied, pulled themselves upright and clothed themselves for the near impossible task they were soon to undertake.

"It's simple and straightforward," Sokka began for what seemed like the fiftieth time, "at the end of the second act, before the start of the third, we make our way stealthily to her box. You eliminate the guard presence and I'll engage her with the magma sword. If it works on her like it's worked with other firebenders, it'll just suck up her flames and render her temporarily powerless. Then I'll finish her off and we can get out of there. Easy."

"Sokka, with all due respect for your skill with that blade-" Sokka flexed his left bicep with a smug on his face- "you've never fought her before, and I have. She's bound to have tricks up her sleeve. I say give me the magma sword and you can use my katana to take out the guards, and back me up if I need it. No, don't give me that 'I won't let you die for my mistake' or 'I won't have your death on my conscience' bullshit, Sokka, this is as much my fight as it is yours."

Sokka, who had opened his mouth to say something along those lines, sighed and decided to tell her the real reason he didn't want her taking on Azula.

"Suki…" he started, "there's no point hiding it any longer. I know that you're… er…" he smiled sheepishly. "pregnant."

She opened her mouth in shock.

"but… I never told you, or anyone, anything! How did you-"

"I've had my suspicions. I'm not too stupid, you know," he said with a wry grin, "don't think I didn't notice you sneaking off to throw up in the mornings in the past month and a half."

They sighed in unison, something they'd come to perfect in the long years that they had spent in the fire nation.

"You're carrying the child of the last surviving member of the Southern Water Tribe, Suki: my child." he stated seriously, "please don't over exert yourself and endanger its life."

"Oh, and fighting Fire Nation royal guards isn't endangering the child?" she said fiercely. Sokka looked downwards for a moment, letting out a frustrated breath. When his head came back up his eyes gleamed with fury, not directed at her, but at his target.

"Azula will be the mightiest foe I've ever fought. This weapon-" he drew the sword from its sheathe on his back and held it in front of him- "is the only way I can even things out. I've trained with it for all these years, Piandao died to ensure that I got it. It's got to be me, Suki, and while I don't doubt your prowess, the only hope of rebuilding the southern water tribe rests in the baby you are carrying in your body. Please let me do this."

Her eyes began to mist up but she met his fierce gaze. "Fine. You are… right, Sokka. I'll do all I can to get you a chance with Azula alone." Before he spoke, she added, "for the child. Not for you or me."

He nodded his understanding. "I'm sorry, Suki, we wouldn't be in this mess if I had tried to… control myself…" he smiled wryly.

"Oh, I wouldn't say it was all your fault," she replied huskily. "maybe if you weren't so irresistibly handsome, Mr. sleeveless guy." She leaned in close to him. Sokka leaned in also, but before their lips met she pushed him backwards off the bench and giggled.

"Not during this act, Sokka, I want to see how they portray you guys! I wonder if I get a bigger part this time."

Sokka laughed and clambered up onto the bench, putting his arm around her as she leaned on him. Together they watched the curtain open.

* * *

The second act began with Azula talking to her father, resplendent on his flaming throne. The director had gone all out this time, hiring real firebenders to make the fire more realistic.

"Your brother has failed to capture the Avatar in these past three years, my daughter. My patience is wearing thin with him. We all know who in the family is the more suitable for this task."

Azula's actor bowed low at these words.

"Zuko will not take this well, I am afraid; you and I know him. As much as I regret this, you must do anything in your power to ensure that he does not get in the way. The same applies for your uncle. Please bring them to me. Only then will I allow you to hunt the Avatar."

The fourteen year old Azula, much more beautiful and reserved than the actor in the first act, bowed once again and turned to leave. The next scene was a portrayal of the battle between Azula and Zuko and Iroh. It was relatively true to the actual event, with Zuko getting beaten around easily, saved only at the last minute by Iroh, who was perceived as a muscular, short, grizzled old man. Sokka began to nod off at this point.

The next few moments were spent recounting the recruiting of Mai and Ty Lee; somewhat boring and uneventful to Sokka and Suki. Sokka, snoring loudly, was awakened by Suki shaking him roughly.

"look!" she whispered.

The play had arrived at Azula's first encounter with Team Avatar in Omashu. Each member seemed to be portrayed much more tough and threatening than in real life; instead of the actress playing Aang in the last play, a much older and stronger man filled his shoes. Likewise, Sokka's actor was tall and wiry, with fearsome "authentic" water tribe weapons. Clearly the "weapons" were designed to rely purely on the fact that they looked terrifying; the sheer number or spikes, blades, and other protruding pointy instruments of pain on them would make them impossible to actually wield. Katara's actor was a beautiful and voluptuous but tough young woman in a surprisingly revealing outfit; plainly her role had been delegated to that of the "bad" girl. Sokka was left speechless. He turned to Suki, a similar look on her face.

"That's ridiculous! What am I wielding, a Boar-q-pine??"

"Look at Katara! I never remember her being that…buxom."

"What happened to the smiling, cheerful girl-Aang from the last play?! That guy looks like more like Zuko without hair. And the scar."

The fight was well choreographed, however; the two quieted down in order to watch the battle. Azula and her colleagues had nearly won when Bumi arrived, not even imprisoned, although he was captured while the actors playing Sokka, Aang and Katara escaped.

"Where is Bumi now?" Suki wondered aloud.

"Last I heard, he was heading the resistance movement in Ba Sing Se. The city's become a war zone."

From that point on the play went rapidly downhill. Toph was introduced soon after; her actor was the exact same one who had played her in the previous production, a buff guy. Sokka and Suki both shared a laugh at this, fondly remembering Toph and her unique mannerisms. They quieted themselves when they remembered what had happened to her, however.

The rest of act two seemed to fly by. The drill was included, as was, to Suki's disdain, the defeat of the Kyoshi Warriors; Azula's takeover of Ba Sing Se came soon after, followed by Zuko's redemption and Iroh's capture. Snuck in between major events was Azula and her friend's trip to Ember Island. The Invasion was then chronicled, a spectacular defeat for the enemies of Fire Nation that had most people cheering. However, it was a reminder of Sokka's failure, and during the scene he held his head in shame, while Suki whispered encouraging things in his hear as she held him close. He brightened at the next scene, the escape from the Boiling Rock; Suki winked roguishly at him and said, "I think I aught to thank you once again for getting me out of that place," and kissed him passionately. However, Sokka broke off the kiss when it came time for Azula's duel with Zuko.

"I've always wondered what really happened to Zuko and Katara," he explained somewhat grimly when he abruptly canceled the match of tonsil hockey they'd just been engaged in.

The duel began, one on one. Azula began to falter (there was no sign of the momentary madness she had actually experienced) and Zuko gained the upper hand. 

However, Azula soon grasped it back. Katara stepped in, however, when Zuko began to lose, and the battle became even more ferocious. The crowd stood on the edge of their seats as the fight raged; like the other battle sequences, it was spectacularly played out, with actual flame, water and ice. Finally, in one move, Azula finished them both off, and they crumpled to the ground. The crowd cheered as the curtained closed. Once again, Sokka found himself incapable of speech.

"That can't have been how it ended," Suki said slowly. "Two fighters like Zuko and Katara? Even against Azula. I refuse to believe it. She must have had help."

Sokka shook his head and spoke in a low and determined voice. "It doesn't matter now. That was a long time ago. Let's finish what they started now."

With those words he got pulled on his black mask, squared his shoulders and marched out of the box. Suki took a deep breath and followed.

For a warrior possessing stealth like that of Suki, dispatching guards without a sound was an easy feat. The theater was dark, as the third and final act had just begun, and the carpet floors helped muffle the thunk of unconscious bodies hitting the ground. In less than two minutes, six guards lay incapacitated; four in the corridor which led to the Azula's private box, and two on the stairs. The ones on the stairs had been more of a challenge; Suki had needed to keep the bodies from falling down and making noise. But it was hardly beyond her capabilities. Sokka, who had been sticking to the shadows, helped her carry them down without a sound. Then he turned to her, nodded, drew his sword, and entered the door to the private box.

Almost immediately two guards launched fireballs at him as he entered. The Magma Sword simply sucked them up like a vacuum cleaner. The guards hesitated, awed. Their pause cost them. Sokka, gritting his teeth at the necessary killing he oh so hated, impaled one of the men. The other rushed him, having figured out that the sword canceled out firebending; hoping to catch him weaponless before he could extract the blade. This was not so, as Sokka reached behind him and drew his war club from its place on his back and swung it downwards upon the unsuspecting man's head, simultaneously pulling his sword from the other guard's convulsing body. The lunging guard fell to the floor, his helmet sparing his life but not his consciousness. Club in right hand, sword in the other, Sokka swept aside the veil that separated him from the woman responsible for the current state of the world.

Azula was standing, facing him as he entered, with a cold smile upon her face. She was immensely beautiful, but Sokka felt nothing but repulsion.

"Enjoying the show?" she asked cordially. Sokka's grip on his blade tightened. He took a step closer.

"What a disastrous assassination attempt. Why, you're not even a bender. What makes you think you can defeat the most accomplished firebender in the world in one on one combat?"

Sokka dropped the club, took his sword in both hands, and coiled his legs for a mighty leap.

"This," he whispered. Then he jumped at her.

If he had been wielding any other blade, he would have been toast then and there, but her mighty blue fire blast was sucked up by the unquenchable thirst for fire of the weapon. But she was extremely quick to realize this; she dodged his initial swipe with a 

duck to the right. But he anticipated the dodge; after all, she was the Fire Lady; instead of bringing the sword back to the left, he completed the turn and lashed out with his foot, catching her right in the chest. Azula was sent sprawling backwards winded, crashing into her lavish bench and overturning it. Sokka was upon her in a second, blade poised to end her life with one strike. Her gaze up at him was one of scorn. He did not need to steel himself; this was one death that was absolutely necessary. The future of the world was bleak indeed if Azula remained living. And yet, Sokka could not do it. He physically could not plunge his sword into her heart.

This was due to the fact that a severed stone hand was holding his wrist, keeping it from moving.

Sokka realized what was happening immediately. But there was nothing he could do to stop the onslaught of the three Dai Li warriors who had seemingly erupted from nowhere. With one solid stone punch to the stomach Sokka went sprawling to the back of the private box, the breath knocked from his body. Upon him in a heartbeat were the Dai Li, shooting their stone hands at him, ensnaring his arms at the wrist to the wall and his ankles to the floor.

Azula laughed heartily. Her actor, although similar in appearance, could not quite match her ability to be absolutely terrifying and intimidating. Sokka said nothing.

"Enjoying the show?"

Sokka said nothing.

"I must admit, you came very close. Closer than anyone in a long time," she began with a smirk, "but you never had a chance from the beginning. Did it ever occur to you that this might have been a trap to flush out my enemies in the Fire nation?"

Sokka remained silent.

"Hmm. Well, you had this-" she gestured to the magma sword at his side- "which certainly gave you an advantage. And you took care of my guards with ease. Therefore I believe that you considered this and decided to press on anyways. I applaud your efforts… Now if you don't mind, I'd like to know who my would-be assassin is…"

She grasped his mask and yanked if off. Sokka remained silent, simply glaring at her with all the defiance of a cornered lion.

But something seemed to come over Azula in that moment; she took a step back, her expression one of disbelief and anger. Her eyes glinted with something resembling fear and her eyelids twitched; Sokka suddenly realized what Iroh had said all those years ago about Azula being mentally unstable was still true.

"NO! I k-killed you! Three years ago! I shot you full of lightning! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

She shrunk back; her air of intimidation seemed to be sucked away, replaced by one of a confused and terrified child. But why?

Then Sokka understood. With his shoulder length hair, pulled out of its topknot when the mask had been yanked from his head, as well as his beard and adult physique, he must resemble his father. His father, who had been slain three years previous by the very person standing over him with fear in her eyes…

* * *

_Sokka and Suki had arrived at the southern water tribe too late; the Fire Nation invasion force, twenty ships and three thousand men, complete with war machines and _

_weapons galore, had already begun to decimate the tribe. Sokka and Suki, sprawled out on a neighboring snow bank some half mile away with an injured Appa nearby, could do nothing but watch in horror. Immediately spotted by the rear guard, the duo on the bison had been set upon by a staggering amount of fireballs. Appa caught a glancing blow from one on his tail, causing him to temporarily stop flying and spiral into the snow. Luckily they had been swooping low to avoid the fire, and had not fallen far enough to be seriously hurt, but the impact had been jarring and painful. Struggling upright, Sokka stumbled over towards the tribe. _

_It became apparent immediately that no prisoners would be taken this day. The fire nation tactics did not indicate a simple raid; they formed up, firebenders shooting projectiles from the rear while swordsmen cut a swathe through the brave water tribe defenders. Incredibly, the water tribe was managing to kill the fire nation troops at a ration of one to one, but the sheer numbers of the fire nation would soon overwhelm them. Of all the water tribe warriors, however, one shone the brightest. Hakoda of the water tribe, with his mace in one hand and spear in the other, cut down fire nation troop after troop, dodging fireballs and sword thrusts simultaneously with ease, all while singing a water tribe battle chant. Following him were his loyal warriors, motivated by the way the fire nation troops in their path seemed to wilt like frail daisies, arranged in a V- formation with Hakoda at its head. Complementing Hakoda's warriors and their unparalleled fighting ability was none other than Master Pakku, leading a contingent of northern water tribe waterbenders in the fray. Upending icebergs and launching barrages of gigantic waves against the fire nation soldiers, Pakku's benders were an unstoppable force. The incredible deadliness of their combined onslaught inspired hope in the sorely outnumbered water tribe, and they began to push back the oncoming fire nation troops. _

_Until she appeared._

_Suki, standing beside Sokka, gasped and pointed towards the largest ship in the fleet, the flagship. On the observation deck atop the tower stood the Fire Lady herself. Azula's cloak billowed out behind her and the sky around her seemed to redden as if she was the source of all the firebending power on the earth. Absorbing all the carnage below her, she seemed to stiffen and breathe inward. Then, making circular motions with her hands, she struck. From her fingertips sprung a blue lightning bolt, which zigzagged downwards and struck the chest of Hakoda. For a moment the battle seemed to halt. Combatants on both sides turned to watch as the brave man was struck right through his chest. The bolt passed all the way through his body and was absorbed into the snow beneath him._

_Sokka stared in disbelief. Suddenly, he couldn't hear, he couldn't see, anything other than the brave man still standing among raging battle. He did not see the other bolts of lightning rain down on the water tribe; he did not see Pakku, his step grandfather, be struck in the stomach. He did not hear Bato's cry of retreat; he did not hear or feel Suki as she launched herself at him, begging him to get down or they would be noticed. His eyes rested only on the standing figure of his father._

_Gracefully, serenely, Hakoda's body arced backwards onto the blood soaked, melting snow._

_All was not lost, however. As Sokka and Suki would find out later, about a third of the tribe had survived; they had entered into an underground ice cavern through trap _

_doors in which submarines similar to the ones used in the invasion lay waiting; in them, the remaining water tribe men and women fled to rejoin their brethren in the north. But Azula had effectively accomplished her mission nonetheless; the Southern Water Tribe was no more. _

_Sokka descended among the bodies after the invasion force had left some four hours later, Suki following close behind. When he reached his father's dead body, he kneeled down and clasped his father's hand in his own and murmured softly. Suki looked on with an air of concern and sadness. When Sokka was done talking, he touched his forehead to Hakoda's and picked up his father's war club, placing his own beside the body with its handle sticking up. Then he walked over to Suki and fell into her arms._

* * *

Sokka was jerked back into the present when Azula shook her head in disbelief and suddenly wised up to his true identity. She immediately regained her composure and stalked forward.

"No…" she began. "You are… Sokka. You are that man's son. Did you know that you look remarkably like him?" her voice grew stronger and more confident with each word.

"Do you know what this means?" Azula asked, positively gleeful now. "This means… that I have finally captured… the last of your little group. It amazes me that a non-bender such as yourself could elude me for so much longer than the others…" she trailed away, seeming the look of shock on Sokka's face, and grinned.

"Haul him off! Throw him into the royal prison for now. I want to have a little chat with him later."

But Sokka didn't care. He was still feeling the shock of what had she said. She had captured the last of their group? Could she be referring to Team Avatar?

Were the others still alive?

* * *

Watching from the shadows of the hallway, Suki could do nothing but clench her fists in frustration as Sokka was taken down by the Dai-Li agents. She had difficulty understanding the ensuing conversation, but managed to catch Azula's last words; Sokka was being taken to the royal prison.

Suki would make sure he was not in there for very long.

She lacked Sokka's knack for coming up with effective plans, however, and she would really need help in coming up with a way to bust him out. As Azula and her remaining guard exited the theater, Suki stuck to the shadows and followed closely behind. Azula made quick time towards her Ember Island suite, taking Sokka inside with her upon reaching the extravagant building.

Suki had just climbed onto a neighboring rooftop in order to survey the situation from above when she felt the unmistakable cold steel of a sword rest against her neck on her collarbone. She cursed herself for dropping her guard and allowing herself to be snuck up on. There was nothing she could do, however, but obey the sword's wielder.

"Turn around slowly," commanded a soft, deep voice. Suki turned to see a hooded figure, holding a long, curved katana. From its relaxed pose, she could tell that the person had no intention of striking with the blade; seemingly thinking it unnecessary to hold it against Suki's neck any further, the cloaked person sheathed the weapon.

"We must hurry back to the mainland if we are to ever help your friend," said the hooded person. "Come with me."

"Wait…" Suki said as the figure began to turn away. "Who are you?"

The mysterious hooded man reached with a gloved hand and threw back the cowl of its cloak. Silvery fangs glinted in the moonlight.

Suki found herself in the presence of the vigilante known only as the Blue Spirit.


	4. The Betrayal

Warning: This chapter includes graphic scenes of torture . I'm going to be upping the maturity level in the future. So be prepared.

* * *

"_It's an ambush!" cried one of the Earth Kingdom soldiers just before he was fried by a precise burst of flame which came from the other airship. Toph remembered how Iroh had suspected something was amiss when they'd received a messenger hawk from Katara and Zuko, detailing their victory over Azula only a day previously. The letter had given them coordinates for a meeting place, requesting that they send an envoy to rendezvous with Zuko and Katara so that they could tour the Earth Kingdom together.  
_

_"Why couldn't they have just returned on Appa?" Iroh had mused. Despite his slight confusion, however, Iroh had agreed to send Aang and Toph with a contingent of earth kingdom soldiers to meet them halfway; with Aang's defeat of Ozai so fresh in his mind he had dismissed his suspicion as the musings of an aging man. What would happen would wrack his mind with guilt for years to come._

_ Toph had realized something was out of place when she had not spotted Appa flying escort to Zuko's airship. When the two airships came up beside one another, high above the sea, and the first lightning bolt was loosed upon their ship, Toph deduced that the whole thing had been a plot by Azula. Assuming the worst for Zuko and Katara, she launched into action. _

_ "To me, Earth Kingdom!" she cried, reaching into the metal at her feet to feel the minerals inside it. A small group of Fire Nation soldiers leaped on board and began to shoot burst upon burst of flame at the defenders. Toph bent the metal beneath her into a sphere, raised it to waist height and kicked it wish all her strength. Like a cannonball the makeshift missile flew right into one of the firebenders; Toph heard him wail and then felt the vibrations of his body hitting the floor- in two pieces. But where one firebender fell, two more arose in his place._

_ "The girl is their leader!"_

_ "That's Toph- She's blind, comrades!"_

_ They had caught on pretty quickly to her identity… how had they known who she was?_

_ Suddenly there was a cry from the port side of the ship. This was no death cry of your average soldier; this cry paralyzed Toph in her tracks; it sounded like the hope of a thousand people dying in one swift stroke._

_ "The avatar is ours! Fire Nation, retreat! We have our objective!"_

_ "Aww, shit," whispered Toph. She dropped the jagged metal in her grasp and ran towards the port. "Aang!"_

_ She was interrupted by the cries of recognition of a group of fire nation soldiers who had just finished off the last of her Earth Kingdom brethren. _

"_She sees with her feet," spoke a new voice, a cold, high voice that seemed to freeze her blood cold. "Burn the floor."_

_ Toph leapt up into action, hurling missile after missile into the throng. Every time she landed, though, she felt the heat beneath her; they were shooting their fireballs into the metal floor and heating it to insane temperatures. She remembered the time Zuko had accidentally burnt her feet, and the horrid blindness she'd never felt in all her years that accompanied the event. Now it was happening again, except this was a real battle. A battle she could not win._

_ Her feet touched the metal one last time and she cried out in pain; the heat was too much! She lifted up a slab of metal from the floor; she didn't care about her hands, just her feet... oh spirits, her feet!_

_ Her last leap was a weak motion, barely reaching half of the height of her previous desperate hurdle. At the apex of the jump a horrendous force met the sheet of metal in her palms._

_ This was no fireball; this was lightning in its most furious form. Had it hit her directly, she would have been killed for sure. Instead, the metal absorbed the concussive blast, but not the energy transfer; rather, it passed it directly into her body. The result was a series of miniatures of explosions all over her as every hair on her body stood on end and pure energy crackled through her. A massive force propelled her up and out, far, far away from where she knew the airships to be. Then, it stopped, and she plummeted._

_ Bent metal in hand, Toph's thoughts were those of disappointment._

I have failed. Aang's dead, the water's right below me, I hate water, aww fuck.

_ Her meager thoughts were silenced with a splash as the cavernous expanse of great ocean reached out to meet her broken, weary form. _

* * *

Sokka came to slowly, his vision spinning like a top as he forced his brain to reorient itself. He found himself strapped to a wooden bed standing perpendicular to the floor, shackled by impossibly tough chains. The room was sparsely lit, consisting of metal walls on four sides. Reddish-brown stains decorated the walls.

_Oh boy_, Sokka thought to himself, _this is definitely a torture chamber. Crap. _At this point he noticed his lack of clothing, and immediately came to the conclusion that he was in for a rough time.

At this moment, a hooded figure unlocked the door and entered. The person's posture was impossibly straight and elegant; Sokka immediately indentified the stranger as a women, do to her hourglass shape clearly visible through the folds of the cloak. With a simple whoosh of her sleeve across her face the hood fell, revealing the Fire Lady herself, in all her terrible beauty. Her skin was fair and clear, lips ruby red and cheek bones impossibly slender. Her eyes, however, were sunken in, bright and shiny, like an animal that had found its prey and was ready to pounce.

"Sokka, Sokka, Sokka. It's been a dreadfully long time, hasn't it? Five, no, six years? Its amazing how people can change, isn't it? You've grown… impressively."

She approached him, her smooth hand moving up and down his bare thigh. Desire and malice were prevalent on her face. Sokka's skin burned where she touched, and he grimaced in a mixture of pain and revulsion.

"Oh my, Sokka… what a perfect form you cut…I trust you wouldn't mind if I… examined you?" She purred. Sokka closed his eyes tightly, grimacing, trying not to look up at his tormentor. He felt her touch on his upper chest, snaking down his stomach…

His eyes snapped open as suddenly his abdomen burned…pain! He looked down to see the imprint of a hand on his skin. He looked up to see Azula holding fire in her hand, a sultry grin on her face.

"Now, dear Sokka… let us get down to business."

She took a step forward, then suddenly her flaming fist collided with his stomach. Sokka doubled up, or tried to, for he was shackled, retching with the pain. She followed her punch with a fiery slap to his face; her print once again burning into his skin. The barrage continued, his chest, stomach and legs burning and aching from the sudden, unprovoked attacks backed with the fury of her flames. Then, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped. Azula stepped back, her breathing heavy, her eyes flickering and her frame quivering. Sokka retched and tried once again to curl up in a ball, but his chains prevented it.

"Now, boy," her tone was harsh. "Tell me. Where is my idiotic uncle? Where has Iroh gone?"

To Sokka's pain-dulled mind, the news was comforting; so the sly dog had managed to slip free… unless Azula was playing that part, to give him false hopes… his pain was too great, but not so much that impeded his ability to play mind games. He spat at her feet and laughed.

"Iroh is deep in here in the fire kingdom, Azula, raising your own countrymen in revolt against you!"

She laughed as he did. "You're a piece of work, Sokka. But don't you realize? I'm offering you an easy way out. You tell me everything you know about my erstwhile uncle, and I'll kill you quickly.

"Perhaps…" she said, grinning her evil grin, "I shall even let you have pleasure before you die." As she said this, her hand slipped to the back of her robe, undoing a string at the back of her neck. The robe fell away, revealing her lithe, strong body. Sokka averted his gaze and gritted his teeth.

She came forward then, her terrible presence filling his eyes and his mind no matter where he looked. Reaching out, she traced a line down his chest once again, leaving a long snakelike burn down his muscled torso. When she came to his manhood, her hand no longer burned; she held him limply.

"Now, Sokka," she whispered, "Tell me. Or you shall know such great pain, not only to your body, but to your pride." She spoke it calmly, but she might as well have screamed it. Her breath was again heavy; she seemed to be getting some perverse sexual pleasure out of the whole situation.

"I don't know," he said truthfully. He felt her hand begin to warm, but he held firm, resisting the urge to cry out and start blubbering then and there.

Her eyes stared into his then, and he noticed how red they were… she must be mad, he concluded. Her hand was steadily heating, and he said again, calmly, fighting off waves of dagger-sharp agony, "I don't know."

He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate, but he couldn't; he could feel the heat, it was becoming unbearable…

Then, it stopped. He opened his eyes and looked up. She laid there, moving her hand limply around his manhood, smiling. "I can tell when a man lies, Sokka, perhaps because I am so accomplished at lying myself. But you are not trying to deceive me. You truly know nothing of my uncle, do you? How disappointing. Well, I have other things to ask you of, but perhaps later. Now, a parting gift?"

She rose, then, in a blink of an eye, slammed her fist into his face. Her barrage continued; he could hear her breathe raggedly as she sunk her fists into his body. With one last punch, she sliced through his binding chains with one white-hot swipe of her hand. He fell heavily on his front, not able to move because of the pain. He retched and tried to curl up, but she forced him onto his back, straddling him. Darkness began to take Sokka as he looked up to see her lowering herself on top of him. Then his head fell backward and unconsciousness took him in its firm embrace.

* * *

Suki was used to knowing every facet of her surroundings. This she had learned from many hard lessons, training with the Kyoshi warriors and, later, Sokka. Her surrounding environment was her ally, if she utilized it right, and doing just that could mean the difference between victory and crushing defeat. It was something that Sokka did especially well, and that she had learned to do as well. Being non-benders, the two had quickly come to realize their physical shortcomings, and had to compensate for those shortcomings by fighting smart, and using every resource at their disposal.

So Suki, blindfolded and at the mercy of this mysterious Blue Spirit character, could not be in a more helpless situation. Upon their initial meeting, she had recalled Sokka's stories of the blue spirit: how the vigilante had been Zuko in disguise. She resisted calling out his name, however. Quickly she deduced the Spirit was in fact not Zuko, as its voice was slightly too high. Suki was also willing to bet that this Blue Spirit was also a woman, based on its physical appearance, although this she was not sure of.

A boat to the mainland had not been hard to stow away on. In the cargo hold of a musty merchant ship, Suki had tried to talk to the Blue Spirit, but had been mostly unsuccessful in getting any sort of information out of the vigilante. It, or she, had simply stated, "There is someone who wishes to meet with you. The fate of your friend will be addressed in due time. I suggest you rest yourself," and turned away. Suki had bitten back her anger and had tried to meditate, to calm herself, but images of Sokka kept flashing through her head; she had promised herself that she would not lose another friend, no, lover, to the Fire nation.

Upon arriving at the mainland after a seemingly never-ending cruise, the Blue Spirit had quickly explained the plan: Suki was to be disguised as a prisoner awaiting a cellblock transfer, the Spirit as the guard escorting her. Where this would gain them entry to, the Spirit would not say. Suki had no choice but to accept the plan, having no one else to turn to. After waiting until dark in a seemingly abandoned household in the Fire Nation Capital, the two made their move.

The two, decked out in a prisoner's rags and a guardsmen's uniform respectively, had more or less simply walked in to the Fire Nation prison in which the city's political prisoners were detained. The Blue Spirit, only removing her mask after Suki had been sufficiently blindfolded, escorted the handcuffed and blindfolded young woman to the guard post right outside the prison's walls.

"Prisoner transfer from the palace dungeons," Said a young woman's voice. It was low and slightly scratchy, and oddly familiar; it sounded much different than the muffled one coming from under the mask though.

"Seems like they're always moving them around, aren't they?" Replied the guardsman. Suki heard his chair scoot back as he rose, and his footsteps as he walked to the pair. "Can you handle this one? I've got the all night shift and I need to catch up on some sleep."

"Tell me about it. Who can fathom the mind of the Fire Lady? I'd be glad to, comerade. You just stay here, I'll be sure not to tell the warden."

"Thanks. Who's the prisoner?"

"Not too interesting. Leader of some resistance group in the colonies. The royal 'questioners' have gotten all they can from her, for now. She may yet be useful, so we're keeping her close at hand."

"Colony trash. Throw her in cell block twenty-seven and leave her to rot."

"Of course."

Suki was shoved from behind by rough hands as the guard chuckled. Suki resisted the urge to lash out at the direction of the noise, but instead fell to the ground and moaned in false pain. She was heaved upwards and away from the guard; by whom she could not tell, although by the weight of their footsteps she judged it to be the blue spirit. The two padded on for what seemed an eternity, navigating descending stairwells and winding passages before finally stopping; there was a fumbling of something-keys, a lockpick perhaps- before a metal door cringed open. Suki was led inside. _Okay, moment of truth,_ she thought to her self; _Either this guy is gonna help me or I've just been officially duped._

After a moment there was a rustling noise, then all of the sudden the pressure on her hands subsided as her handcuffs were undone. Suki slowly removed her blindfold and turned around; the Blue Spirit had replaced her mask, draping a large cloak over its form to hide her identity once more. Suki turned to the cell that lay in front of them.

"Welcome to the deepest cell in the Fire Nation Mainland," said a hoarse voice from the back of the cell. It was not well lit, and Suki could only make out the form of a man, sitting cross-legged on the floor. His hair was long, dank and matted, serving to hide his face from view. She could make out that he was very gaunt, as if he had spent years and years in this prison.

"Who are you! Both of you!" Suki exclaimed in a fierce whisper. "And where do they have Sokka! You know something, don't you?"

"Calm yourself." Said the male voice. The Blue Spirit placed a hand on Suki's arm, a strangely soothing sensation. "I know where she is keeping him, but knowing will not serve to alleviate your distress. Instead, I implore you to listen."

Suki took deep breaths, trying to calm and control herself. Her quick temper often got the best of her, and it was something she often had to take measures to contain.

"Azula has ruled too long, and has further upset the balance that six years ago was almost returned to the world. Now, the wheels of fate are turning once again, and you are one of many yokes. You have a task to fulfill, Suki of the Kyoshi."

Suki paused. "What is this… task? And you still haven't told me who you are… how am I supposed to trust you? Especially if you keep unleashing your little errand boy on me?" at this she turned to the Blue Spirit, eyeing it with narrowed eyes. The Spirit did not move.

"I am that which our mutual enemy fears the most. I am the shadow that follows her burning light, always there, always lurking. She cannot bring herself to kill or confront me, for I am a part of her, and yet I am everything she is not. We are two sides of the same coin… and two of the same blood."

With that, the man rose and stepped into the dim light near the cell. His frame was wiry and strong, despite its long tenure behind bars, and he seemed to be possessed with an inner heat that expanded and retracted as he breathed. Then his face came into view. It was a face that she had not seen in a long, long time- gaunter than she remembered, sunken even, but familiar. It was a face whose left side was dominated with a single, horrific scar.

Suki gasped and nearly fell backwards.

* * *

Sokka awoke groggily, to find himself once again handcuffed to the wall, as well as freshly clothed. The pain had not dissipated, however, and neither had the mental scarring that he had received. He forced the images of Azula from his mind and instead curled himself into a ball, pulling his feet towards his torso as he suspended himself in the air. Taking deep breaths, he forced himself to forget the pain, forget Azula, forget the situation. He did this by thinking of that which he loved more than anything else in all the four nations: Suki. He allowed himself to be wrapped in the memories of her scent and touch, weaving these thoughts into a protective blanket against the pain and the hurt.

Suddenly the door creeped open, and Sokka was awoken from his brief vacation from reality. The pain crept back as slowly as the new arrival crept forward, walking slowly towards him. His vision was skill groggy so all he could make out was a hooded figure, shorter than he. He steeled himself for the worst. With a slow gesture the hooded figure reached under its cloak…

Quick as a flash, a swirl of water extended itself from under the cloak and, with razor-sharp precision, sliced through the shackles that bound him. He fell heavily to the floor. Forcing himself into a half-kneeling position, Sokka looked up, into two beautiful, crystal-blue eyes.

The person they belonged to was equally as beautiful. Long, brown hair was carefully braided into a Fire Nation topknot that spilled over her neck and back. A heart-shaped face smiled down at her that was impossibly unblemished. Her scent reminded him of memories long ago, of hunting for bear-seals in the icy tundra and sliding on penguins.

"…Katara." He said slowly, and smiled back.

"Sokka." She said firmly.

All of his troubles seemed to vanish in an instant. His sister was alive. His sister was here, to save him, and bring him far, far away from this awful place, away from this den of fear and aching pain. In his relief, he failed to notice how incredibly dull her eyes were.

"Come on! No time to sit and stare at each other! We need to get out of here!"

Sokka pulled himself to his feet, trying to ignore the screams and creaks of his pained body as he did so. He found he was able to walk well enough, if rather lopsidedly. Katara moved to support him but he waved her away.

"I'll be fine. Which way is out?"

"Follow me!"

She wrapped her cloak around herself again and exited the torture chamber into the corridor beyond. It was dimly lit and there was not a fire nation soldier in sight. Sokka hobbled up beside her.

"How did you find me? How did you get here? Damn it all, where have you been these four years?"

"I'll explain later," she shushed him, "for now, lets just concentrate on getting out of here!"

There were a million questions he wanted to ask, but Sokka only nodded. The two resumed their hurried pace through the eerie, deserted hallway. He turned to watch her walk, observing how she had changed in six years. She was a woman now, a woman in her prime; her body was easily as toned as his, and her muscles seemed to ripple through her black clothing. She held herself with a poignant grace and confidence that she had lacked in her youth. He found himself strangely proud then; his sister had grown into a true Water Nation warrior. She noticed him staring at her and looked into his eyes, smiling her familiar Katara smile. Yet there was something behind that smile, something that didn't add up. It was almost apologetic, and laced with worry somehow, almost successfully hidden behind her beaming expression. Almost.

Alarm bells clanged in Sokka's unconscious mind. _Something is horribly wrong, _it seemed to be saying, _why is this so easy?_ However, Sokka's normally oh-so-acute danger perception abilities were currently being overwhelmed by the fact that his beloved, previously-thought-dead sister was walking here beside him in the flesh. Never mind how fishy this all was – if she could infiltrate the palace, why couldn't he? And why was she just showing herself now, if she had been secretly alive for so long?

Perhaps Sokka had reached his breaking point. He found it easy to repress the ever-growing doubts that otherwise would have propelled him into action. After all, it was _Katara. _All would be revealed in time. What could possibly be the matter? They weaved their way through the corridors – Sokka became horribly lost – before finally coming to a small arched doorway.

"We've got company," she hissed. Two guards stood watch at the end of the corridor. "Hang back, let me handle this." He nodded and pressed himself against the wall, nearly invisible in the dim lighting. She strode towards the men with a purpose.

"Who goes there?" asked one guard warily "State your business."

"My business is my own," she retorted and, without hesitation, flicked out her foot, catching the guard right under the chin. The kick was so strong the guard flew back into the wall, sliding down to a slumped position. He was clearly unconscious, if not dead.

The other guard was quick; he was able to draw his own sword and was in the process of swinging it vertically on top of her. He was quick, but not nearly quick enough.

Katara's left hand lashed out to intercept the man's sword arm; she caught his hand in hers and gave a simple twist. The man howled as he dropped his blade and tried to pry her fingers off of his left hand with his right. Katara turned her body so that her back faced his front and, with one fluid movement, flipped him over his shoulder, rolling his body off her back and onto the floor, which he hit with one hell of a thud. The man gasped and tried to curl into a ball, but she was upon him again. With a _thunk_ her fist connected with his temple and his head sagged.

Sokka limped up, speechless.

"Wow," he began. "Just… wow."

She ignored his slackened jaw and began rustling through the disabled guards' pockets for the key to the door. Finding her prize, she quickly unlocked it and wrenched it open, pausing only to whisper "Come on!" before slipping through the door. Sokka followed gratefully, still impressed by his sister's ability of her newfound battle prowess. He resolved to force her to teach him a few moves once they were clear of the palace.

The door opened to a small, tranquil garden. In the middle of the enclosed area was an elegant water fountain. At the other end was a gate that led to a pathway leading into the mountains that protected the palace – the portal to freedom. Sokka paused for a moment to inhale a breath of the cool night air, savoring it as if he'd been underground for millennia. The stars were bright in the sky, and the garden had a peaceful aura that immediately brightened his spirits.

Those high spirits were immediately snuffed as twenty men clad in green outfits swooped seemingly out of nowhere and surrounded the siblings. They did not move, however.

_Well shit,_ thought Sokka as he raised his fists in defiance, ready for whatever the Dai Li threw at him. His eyes caught Katara's then, and he grinned recklessly. She grinned back – but then her smile faltered. Confused, he whirled around to see that the Dai Li had moved and had been joined by another figure.

It was Azula, radiant and terrible.

"So you escaped," She began, taking a step forward. "How very inspiring. But once again, it was an exercise in futility, my dear Sokka." She grinned, the way a leopard does before it pounces on its carefully cornered prey. Sokka could imagine her swishing a tail back and forth under her robes.

"This time, I'm not alone," He growled at her. He began mentally preparing himself for a reckless charge. If he could somehow get to Azula…

"Oh contraire, Sokka," She began in her most irritatingly smug voice, "I'm afraid you are alone after all. You see, Katara and I have gotten to know each other well these past six years."

Sokka turned to his sister in confusion to find that she no longer stood at his side. Instead, she was facing him, her fists curled at her sides and her legs spread in a power stance. Time seemed to slow as he looked deep into her eyes and realized how truly _empty _they were.

Everything clicked into place. The escape had been too easy, Katara's presence far too convenient for it to be genuine. _It's a fucking trap,_ Sokka's inner voice screamed._ That isn't your sister._

But it clearly was. There was no mistaking Katara's smile – it was unique. Sokka only wished it was gracing her face now instead of the impassive, blank visage she presented now.

"Well shit," Sokka said, this time out loud as a stream of water wrapped itself around his ankle and threw him to the ground. He landed hard, but not hard enough to stop him from rolling upright. Panting hard, body aching from the previous night's torture, he looked up to see Katara slowly advancing.

"Katara! It's me, what are you doing!"

She did not reply, simply stalking closer. All of a sudden she burst into motion, leaping towards him while simultaneously sending a powerful jet of water towards his face. He rolled to avoid the water and came up directly in front of her, taking the impact of her first punch on the soft part of his forearm. Had he blocked with the bone, it would surely have shattered from the force of the impact.

"Katara!" he managed to choke out before she launched into a flurry of attacks, each one closer to breaching his diluted defenses than the last. Sokka was not your average opponent, however, and even sorely weakened managed to defend himself ably. Her final attack in the brief bout – a vertical cross from the left, meant to distract him while she prepared to deliver a powerful uppercut with her right – was executed rather sloppily and Sokka took his chance, leaning into the blow and preparing to tackle her to the ground in order to stop the hopeless battle between siblings. However, in a split second, she was not there – instead, he found himself staring into a raging wall of water that had until recently occupied the fountain. He had a millisecond to inhale deeply before it was upon him, forcing him to his knees as the water overwhelmed him.

It was like kneeling under an ever-raging waterfall. He could hear nothing but the roar of the water, his eyes screwed shut against the never-ending onslaught. He was blind and deaf, completely at the mercy of the water, chilled to the bone, terrified beyond hope and utterly alone. Seconds seem to stretch into hours as he kneeled, as his lungs slowly squeezed every drop of air from his body. He lost track of time there, in the darkness and the pain and the horrible pressure. His mouth opened in a silent plea for oxygen and water forced its way in, down his throat, into his lungs. His body began to convulse as it desperately tried to expel this foreign substance, but it was no use. Then, all of a sudden, the pressure was lifted.

Sokka collapsed to the ground, coughing uncontrollably, his every pore leaking the life-giving substance that had so nearly killed him. He could only wonder at the amount of water he'd just ingested. As his body spasmed he remembered where he was and what a shitstorm he was in.

At least the Dai Li had the good graces to let him vomit up the rest of the water he'd swallowed before they clamped him down with their stone hands. His vision finally began to clear then, and the first sight he beheld was that Azula and his sister standing side by side.

Of all the things Sokka could have said, only one word escaped his lips. That moment would haunt him forno short amount of time.

"Why?"

It was a pathetic plea, really, perhaps his lowest moment in the last six years. Lower than the death of his master, of his father, of his friends. His own sister, the only family he had left, had betrayed him.

"I serve the fire lady now," was her only response. She turned her back towards him.

That image, of Katara's back to his, with Azula's mad eyes staring into his own, would be forever burned into his brain. Sokka's mind took pity on him then and shut down, surrendering to the strangely comforting blackness of unconsciousness.

* * *

A/N: Yeah yeah, it's been a while. Hopefully finishing this up pretty soon.


End file.
